Method and apparatus for constructing concrete buildings.



1R. H.- AIKEN. METHOD AND APPARATUS FDR GONSTRUOTING CONCRETE BUILDINGS..

Patented Apr. 16, 1912.

3 BHEET8-SHBET 1.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 4, 1907.

WITNESSES A r v Alla rm 4 E. H. AIKEN. MBTHODAND APPARATUSFOR OONSTBUOTING GONGRETE BUILDINGS.

APPL IOATION FILED NOV. 4 1907.

' Patented Apr. 16,1912.

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R. H. AIKEN. 7 METHOD ND APPARATUS ron GONSTRUGTING CONCRETE BUILDINGS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 4, 1907.

Patented Apr. 16, 1912.

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.i. |||||||||||||I CH v INVENTOR v w Atlanta WITNESSES UNITED STATES PATENT-OFFICE.

ROBERT II. AIKEN, or WINTHRO]? HARBOR, I I OIS; ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, T AIKEN ENGINEERING COMPANY, A CORPORATION or MAINE.

.IMETHOD AND APPARATUS Fen. coNsTIiUc'rINe CONCRETE BUILDINGS.

To all whom. it may concern .foundation.

Be it known .that I, Ronnn'rH. AIKEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Winthrop Harbor, in the county of Lake and State of Illinois,-have invented certain .new and useful Improvements in Methods and Apparatus, for Constructing Concrete Buildings, of which the following is a-specition over the wall. Preferably the axis'is .at {some distance from the plane of the foundation and also at approximately the same distance above the top of the same,

i so that the portion which overhangs the axis i needed to swing the whole. It also involves a upon the side next the foundation may balance a corresponding portion upon the opposite side, thereby lessening the power various other features, as will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings-,Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of the preferred form of my apparatus. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail plan. view of 'certain screw elevating devices, and their vsupport,-parts belng broken away. Fig. 4

is a vertical elevation, partly in section; showingthe devices of F1g. 3. Figs. 5' and 6 are vlews corresponding to Flgs. 1 and 2,

respectively, and showing a modified con-j struction. In these fi ures A re resents a founda- B 7 tion Wall and B a frame, alongside the same, supporting horlzontal beams (1 arranged in pans in a plane at some distance above the wall A, the beams of each pair bclng a short distance apart. Between the beams of each.

pair and pivoted to them at I) near the plane of the foundation is a slightly inclined beam E projecting so far over the wall that .When swung upon the pivot D to vertical Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed November 4 1907. Serial No. 400,896.

Patented Apr. 16, 1912 position its lower end nearly or quite touches the top of the wall. Between these beams and removably secured thereto, are joists F fiush withthe beams E, and-upon these are laid planks G forming a platform.

Any suitable means, for example cleats, may beused to prevent sliding of the planks upon the supporting. beams and joists. Each beamE is normally held inclined in the plane of thebeams G by means of a long screw II pivoted to the beam at some distance from the beam pivot D and is caused to rise and fall by means of a nut I held in a strong case J pivotally supported by the beams C sot-hat. thescrew which passes between the latter beams may swing in a vertical plane and inay be forced upward, by rotation of the nut, 'to swing the platform to vertical position. The construction is clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 4-. The upper part of each nut is a worm wheel which is rotated by a. worm K upon a shaft L. The nut, worm and "shaft are mounted in the heavy casing J which. is made up of two halves secured together by bolts J and is provided upon opposite sides with axial, horizontal gudgeons J mounted in metal plates M bolted to the beams of the corresponding pair in such manner that the case, nut, \VOllIlfflIld worm shaft may all :swing upon the gudgeons as an axis. The same shaft L may, if desired, d rive all the Worms and thereby advance all the screws equally and-synchronously, and it may itself be rotated by a crank N, or by a belt O,.or other device adaptedto opcrate although' the shaft swings through a small are. Upon the platformthus formed and arranged, a reinforced concrete wall I is formed and finished while the platform is approximately horizontal and is then swung upward wit 1 the platform, by means of the screws until it reaches vertical position and rests upon a layer-of fresh cement upon the top of the 'wall. In this raising, the part overhanging the wall counterbalances a like portion upon the opposite side of the axial line of the pivots and thus thescrews raise only the weight of the remainder.

In practice, the beams C are secured against tilting, and the wall is permanently secured to certain planks of the platform, these planks,-whieh;may be narrow, being at such distance apart as to form furring stripswhen the wall has been raised and the of a wire cable R having one end secured to the beams C and the otherend portion guided by a pulley B and wound upon a drum S of a Windlass actuated by a shaft T. In this case I have shown a jack screw V in position for vertically adjusting the beams C and parts supported thereby. jObviously this adjustment may be employed in the form first described. In either form because the wall is secured to various planks that arethemselves prevented from sliding on their supporting timbersv as well as because the concrete strongly adheres to all the planks, there is no danger that the wal will slide from the platform.

Since it is plain that many changes can be made in my apparatus without passing the' proper limlts of my invention, I do not wish to limit my claims to the specific constructions illustrated. a

What I claim is:

1. The method of erecting a one-piece concrete building wall upon its foundation which consists in providing, alongside said foundation, an approximately horizontal platform pivoted to swing to vertical posi-' tion upon an axis parallel to said foundation, forming upon said'platform a concrete Wall with an exposed margin parallelto the foundation and at approximately thesame distance from the pivotal axis, and swinging the entire wall upon said axis to erect position upon the foundation.

.2. The method of erecting the wallsv of concrete buildings which consists in formng one wall in approximately horizontal position at some distance above the support upon which it isto rest and extending on both sides of the vertical plane of such support, swinging said wall to vertical position about a horizontal axis aboveand near the plane of said support, and in like manner adding the remainlng walls in succession.

3. The method of erecting a one-piece concrete wall of a building upon its foundation which consists in providing a platform support alongside and extending above said foundation, mounting upon said support an approximately horizontal platform projecting over the foundation and pivoted to swlng to vertlcal position upon an axls par allel to the latter, forming upon the platform a concrete wall having one margin parallel to the foundation and at approxi-,

mately the same distance from the pivotal axis, and swinging the platform about said axis to bring said margin into position to rest upon the foundation.

4. The combination with a suit-able support, of a normally approximatelyhorizontal platform pivoted between its opposite sides upon said support to swing vertically and adapted to carry the concrete wall of an ordinary dwelling or the like, means for swinging the platform about'said axis to vertical position, and means for lowering the platform and wall after they have been swung upward.

5. The method of constructing and erecting walls which consists in forming the wall in a substantially horizontal position at an elevation directly over the permanent foundation to receive the same, then tilting the formed wall into vertical position over its seat on the foundation, and finally lowering the wall vertically onto its seat.

- 6. The method of constructing and erecting walls which consists in forming the wall in a substantially horizontal position upon a support pivotally mounted upon an axis located above and in vertical line with a permanent foundation to receive the finished wall, then tilting the finished wall about the pivotal axis of its support to bring the same into foundation, and then lowering the wall vertically onto its seat in the foundation.

7. The. method of constructing and erectvertical position to be received on 'said ing walls which consists in forming a wall in approximately horizontal position, moving the wall into erect, position above the foundation upon which it is to rest perma-' nently, and lowering the erected wall to said foundation.

In testimony whereof I aflixmy signature in presence of two witnesses. I

ROBERT H. AIKEN.

WVitnesses':

E. 'L. HARRISON, J. L. KELLocG. 

